SiTime Solves Critical Challenges in GPS-enabled Defense Systems
Breakthrough Performance and Reliability of the Endura Epoch Platform Addresses Precision Timing Issues for Aerospace and Defense
SiTime Corporation, the precision timing company, announced its Endura Epoch Platform™ built for robust and resilient positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services critical in defense operations. The ruggedized MEMS oven-controlled oscillator (OCXO) boosts the resilience of PNT systems and other equipment, such as radars, field and airborne radios, satcom terminals, and avionics, against spoofing, jamming, and other disruptions in Global Positioning System (GPS) signals.
“GPS was originally deployed for national security and later adopted for various commercial and industrial applications,” said Piyush Sevalia, executive vice president of marketing at SiTime. “In addition to national security applications, GPS plays an essential role in civilian infrastructure, such as aviation, power grid, and emergency response. An industry analysis revealed that a total GPS outage would negatively impact the economy by $1 billion per day.”
“Over the last few decades, defense systems and business processes have been structured around GPS-based PNT,” continued Sevalia. “However, a GPS signal can be disrupted intentionally and unintentionally, leading to disastrous consequences on military operations in the space, air, maritime, ground, and cyber domains. GPS disruptions can cause equipment malfunctions, increased risk to personnel, or even complete mission failure. In these situations, an ultra-stable, local clock device can provide the accurate time reference for PNT until the trusted GPS signal becomes available again. SiTime’s Endura Epoch Platform is a breakthrough precision timing solution that provides this accurate time reference, allowing PNT systems in national security and defense applications to achieve a new level of performance even during the disruption of the GPS signal.”
Based upon the transformative precision timing innovations of the Epoch Platform launched in September 2023, the Endura Epoch MEMS OCXOs are specifically designed to meet the challenging shock and vibration conditions found in aerospace and defense. These devices are manufactured using proven semiconductor processes that deliver the reliability and quality expected from silicon devices that cannot be achieved by quartz crystal OCXOs, especially in extreme conditions.
Key Features of SiTime Endura Epoch Platform
The Endura Epoch Platform MEMS OCXO greatly simplifies timing system design due to superior performance and significantly improves size, weight, and power (SWaP). Key features and benefits compared to quartz crystal OCXOs include:
- Programmable frequencies from 10 to 220 MHz
- Up to 70X better g-sensitivity
- Up to 30X better reliability
- Rated at 20,000 g shock survivability, up to 20X better
- Up to 20X better frequency stability over temperature
- Up to 3X better Allan deviation, a measure of short-term frequency stability
- Surface-mountable, small footprint, and low height 9.0 mm x 7.0 mm x 3.6 mm
- Low 0.35 g weight, up to 300X lower
- 420 mW steady state power, up to 2X lower